Crude-Oil Emulsions: A State-Of-The-Art Review

Summary The formation of emulsions during oil production is a costly problem, both in terms of chemicals used and production lost. This paper discusses production and operational problems related to crude-oil emulsions and presents a review that will be useful for practicing engineers. The first part of this paper presents why emulsions form during oil production, the types of emulsions encountered, and new methods for characterizing them. Crude-oil emulsions are stabilized by rigid interfacial films that form a "skin" on water droplets and prevent the droplets from coalescing. The stability of these interfacial films, and hence, the stability of the emulsions, depends on a number of factors, including the…